1832.] 



The Heterogony of Oxalis violacea. 





TAJ 



li: t\ 



—Oxalis vi 



JLACEA. 





Men 



nremcn 



01 J\ 



lenfrom Shor 



t styled I'hnvers. 





Flower 



Vumbors. 



1 



Long Stamens. | Short St 



mens. 



3 1 S 2 " X 32 " I 48" X 28 " 



These grains were measured dry, immediately after removal 

 from newly gathered flowers. It will be seen that those from 

 both sets of stamens in any flower, are nearly equal in diameter ; 

 while, as is usual in heterogenous plants, those from the short- 

 styled flowers are larger than those from the long-styled. 



The facts indicated appear, so far as they go, to point to 

 dimorphism rather than trimorphijsm in this species; although 

 with truly trimorphic plants, one or even two of the forms may 

 occasionally be absent from a given district. Concerning the 

 local occurrence of but two forms of trimorphic plants, Mr. Dar- 

 win 1 says : <( Fritz Muller formerly believed that a species of 

 Oxalis, which is so abundant in St. Catharina that it borders the 

 roads for miles, was dimorphic instead of trimorphic. Although 

 the pistils and stamens vary greatly in length, as was evident in 

 some specimens sent to me, yet the plants can be divided into 

 two sets, according to the lengths of these organs. A large pro- 



1 Different Forms of Flowers on Flants of the same Species, p. 180. 



